Chapter 27

Chapter 27

At this point, Major General Lin nodded towards the side, and a soldier immediately turned on a projector. A white screen at the back displayed a video.

The video showed a ruin, the camera shaking, indicating it was shot from a moving tracked vehicle. The lens occasionally switched, showing soldiers in thermal suits, probably recorded by a camera mounted on a soldier’s helmet.

Anticipating what would happen next, everyone on the square, including Yan Bubu and the children next to him, watched the screen intently.

The tracked vehicle bumped along the ruins, everything seeming normal. But suddenly, the bricks and tiles nearby collapsed, revealing a hole. A rope darted out from the hole, swiftly wrapping around the waist of a soldier on the vehicle.

With the soldier's cry of alarm, the rope quickly retracted, pulling him into the hole.

"The other soldiers finally reacted, jumping off the vehicle and rushing to the hole. The camera shook with their movement, revealing a pitch-black opening."

"The hole was deep, and one of the soldiers grabbed a protruding steel pickaxe at its edge, his body still hanging in mid-air."

"'Help... me...' he called out, looking up with difficulty, while the rope around his waist tightened, dragging him downwards."

"The camera was close enough for everyone in the square to see clearly that what was wrapped around his waist wasn’t a rope but a long, knotted tree root covered in soil."

"'Hold on!'"

"Two soldiers on the ground reached out to pull him up, while another drew a dagger, bending down to try and cut the root around his waist."

"But the root tightened like a steel wire, sinking into the soldier's flesh, making it impossible for the dagger to reach it. Blood gushed from his waist, and he spat blood profusely, clearly beyond help."

"Perhaps considering the psychological impact on the viewers, the video abruptly stopped at this point, not continuing but switching to the next segment."

"The following clips were similar, with either a group of wild cats, as big as wolves, suddenly appearing and dragging a soldier into the ruins, or a swath of rose vines entangling an entire caterpillar track vehicle, slowly enveloping it completely..."

"People in the square reacted variously: some were pale with fear, trembling with eyes shut, while others covered their mouths, tears spilling from their eyes. The row of children sitting on the arm of the excavator was visibly terrified."

"Having been chased by a tiger and encountering a murderous vine at the institute, Yan Bubu was somewhat more composed than the other children watching these videos."

"Still, he was scared."

"'Brother,' he called out softly."

"Feng Chen turned his head and, without asking why Yan Bubu had called him, simply extended his arms, lifting Yan Bubu into a hug."

"After a few more segments, the video stopped, and the screen darkened. But it was clear to everyone in the square that the deaths of those four hundred plus soldiers were not just numbers, but represented over four hundred horrific experiences of death."

"Just like the video they had just seen, the reality was bloody, brutal, and beyond the psychological tolerance of any human being."

"General Lin gave everyone time to mentally process what they had seen, not speaking immediately. Several minutes passed before his deep voice came through the loudspeaker."

"'What you just witnessed are the mutated animals and plants, which have developed a strong aggression towards humans. Don't ask me how they mutated because I don't have the answers.'"

"'You have been protected by the Western Alliance Army in an underground shelter, concerned only about what's for lunch today and whether there will be mushroom soup for dinner. We hadn't intended to release these images; sacrifice and combat are the duties of soldiers. But now, our situation is so dire that we have no choice but to disclose this information.'"

"'You might still be hopeful, thinking that the Central City will send rescue, or that in two more months, we can return to the surface. These reassuring messages are what we previously wanted to convey to you.'"

Major General Lin's voice grew increasingly somber: “But now, I must shatter any illusions and confront you with the harsh reality. This earthquake has not only affected Haiyun City but our entire Ehart Federation and indeed the whole planet. It's a calamity for all of humanity. We cannot wait for any rescue; we must save ourselves.”

Although many had already come to this realization, low sobs still rippled through the crowd.

“Our only hope lies in the temperature-controlled gardens in the development zone, in the just-sprouting corn and the newly formed potatoes. However, the Western Union Army now faces a critical shortage of manpower.”

Major General Lin’s gaze hardened as he continued, “The mutated species are increasing and have reached a point where they must be eradicated. If left unchecked, we will eventually be unable to even leave the shelter, trapped underground until we perish. The soldiers can’t both cultivate crops and deal with these mutants. Hence, the Western Union Army will handle the mutants, but you must take on the task of farming.”

As Major General Lin finished, the crowd didn't erupt into discussions as before but fell into a collective silence.

After two minutes of this eerie quiet, Major General Lin glanced at a soldier beside him, who stepped forward and announced loudly, “In addition to farming, there are other tasks to undertake. Everyone is welcome to volunteer. We won’t force anyone; participation is entirely voluntary. Those willing to be part of the first group can sign up at the registration desk.”

He pointed to a small table nearby with a sign indicating the registration area, behind which sat a soldier.

Murmurs and whispers started up again. With the surface being so dangerous and participation voluntary, surely no one would willingly go.

Major General Lin had made the situation abundantly clear. Everyone understood the logic, but they also knew they had only one life to live.

The soldier continued, “Due to food shortages, all credit points will be reset to zero, and each person will receive a hundred points for this month.”

“What? Reset to zero? Only a hundred points? How will we survive on that? We’ll starve!”

“Yeah, even though there’s a food shortage, didn’t he say the potatoes are almost ready? Why decrease our credit points?”

Faced with these questions, the soldier remained calm, “The hundred points are just the base. If you participate in farming, breeding, or other reconstruction work, you can earn an additional five hundred points a month.”

Feng Chen's brow twitched as he listened, realizing Major General Lin’s strategy. While he claimed not to force participation, he reduced everyone's credit points, making it necessary to earn them to eat adequately.

“Five hundred points? That’s not bad, enough to keep a family from starving.”

“Good for nothing. Didn’t you see those videos? Those five hundred points are the price of your life.”

“But with those five hundred plus the basic hundred, not just me, but my wife and kids can also get by.”

“Go if you want, but I won’t. As a single man, I can manage with one meal a day on a hundred points.”

“One meal a day isn’t enough either. Each meal costs five points, that’s a hundred and fifty a month, plus there’s rent to pay.”

Yan Bubu, only partially understanding but sensing the gravity from the surrounding conversation, leaned close to Feng Chen and asked softly, “Brother, are we going to go hungry?”

Feng Chen’s brow furrowed, his lips pressed tightly, offering no reply. Yan Bubu continued, “I’m not afraid of being hungry. I have extra fat. I can share half my food with you, just don’t let me starve.”

Amidst the clamor, a weary female voice emerged from the crowd, "Major General Lin, I am seventy years old and in poor health. I’d like to work in the fields, but I'm afraid I'll be more of a burden. It's just my daughter-in-law and me at home, and she’s five months pregnant, so she can't work the fields either. But if we don’t earn credit points, how will we survive?"

Others echoed her concerns, “Indeed, not everyone can go. What about the elderly, the pregnant women, and the children?”

“Children have their parents; that shouldn't be an issue.”

“But there are orphans too, like these two,” a voice indicated towards Feng Chen and Yan Bubu.

The crowd’s gaze turned towards Feng Chen and Yan Bubu.

Yan Bubu, feeling uncomfortable, tucked his head into Feng Chen's shoulder.

Feng Chen watched calmly ahead, as if the mentions of orphans had nothing to do with him.

Major General Lin looked down silently, and the soldier bellowed, “Everyone, quiet!”

The noise slowly subsided, and the soldier continued gravely, “The work in the farming zone is not strenuous; it is mostly mechanized, just requiring human operation. Therefore, the elderly and pregnant women can certainly manage it. For those with serious illnesses or who are especially weak, lighter reconstruction tasks are available. For instance, our shelter requires a significant amount of Lishi stones for power. While the mine is right beneath us, these stones need to be handpicked from the ore. Selecting three Lishi stones earns five points—”

“Why should we do this? What’s the Western Union Army for?” A harsh voice interrupted the soldier, cutting through the crowd.

Everyone, including Feng Chen and Yan Bubu, turned towards the source of the voice.

A burly, defiant man stood out, his muscles straining against his T-shirt. He scoffed and added, “Ah, the Western and Eastern Union Armies of the Ehart Federation, so formidable once. Everybody knows you squandered the people's money on your internal squabbles instead of doing your job. Now that there's trouble, one runs away early while the other wants to send us to our deaths. Talking about military duty, huh?”

His words, though not echoed aloud, seemed to find silent agreement among the crowd.

“Nonsense!” the soldier shouted angrily. “We won’t speak of the Eastern Union Army, but how long has the Western Union Army been protecting you? If there were any other way, do you think we would ask you to work in the temperature-controlled farms?”

“You are soldiers; protecting civilians is your duty, not sending us to the front lines to face death,” the robust man retorted without backing down.

"You'll be escorted to the temperature-controlled farm by soldiers; your role will be to engage in farming."

“Hah, can you guarantee our safety? In the video you showed, an entire vehicle was swept away. What use is your escort?”

Others, emboldened, voiced their agreement loudly: “Exactly, you say we’re just going to farm, but isn’t that just sending us to our deaths?”

“Are you the soldiers or are we? Had I known, I would have gone with the Eastern Union Army from the start.”

“The Eastern Union Army is no better, they're all in the same boat.”

“Now they're forcing us to choose between certain death and starvation.”

The soldier, red-faced with anger, was about to respond when Major General Lin, who had been silent, raised his hand to stop him: “No need to argue, it’s pointless.”

Major General Lin's gaze slowly swept across the faces in the crowd, finally resting on the defiant man. He pointed at him and softly uttered three words: “Bring him up.”

Several soldiers quickly approached and grabbed the burly man, pushing him towards the platform. Despite his struggle and raw strength, he was no match for the trained soldiers, who subdued and escorted him to Major General Lin.

Major General Lin extended his hand, and a whip was placed into it.

Crack!

The whip arced through the air and landed heavily on the man’s back, causing a collective shiver among the onlookers. His shirt tore instantly, revealing a raised welt of blood.

“Soldiers? Bullshit! Just a bunch of bastards. Major General? Just flexing your muscles in front of us civilians.” Despite the pain causing sweat to bead on his forehead, the man’s stubborn nature flared up as he started cursing loudly.

“Gag him,” ordered Major General Lin, beginning to roll up his military uniform sleeves.

The man’s mouth was quickly muffled; he grunted and struggled but was firmly held down by several soldiers.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The sound of the relentless whipping continued, echoing seven or eight times, until the burly man finally fell silent.

Only then did Major General Lin toss the whip aside, instructing a soldier, “Take him to the medical point and have the doctors treat him.”

“Yes, sir.”

The crowd fell deathly silent, shocked by the scene. Yan Bubu, held in Feng Chen’s arms, shuddered with each crack of the whip.

After watching the man, bloodied and wounded, being carried away, Yan Bubu leaned towards Feng Chen’s ear and whispered, “The Western Union Army is so harsh. We from the Eastern Union Army don’t beat people, right?”

Feng Chen honestly replied, “Can't be sure.”

Confused by this answer, Yan Bubu tilted his head and asked softly, “So, was the man who got beaten a bad person?”

Feng Chen pondered for a moment, then said, “The man who was beaten isn’t necessarily bad, but under these circumstances, I support Major General Lin’s approach.”

Yan Bubu grew even more puzzled, but as Major General Lin resumed speaking, he didn’t continue his questioning.

“The situation is extremely critical now. Haiyun City is at a life-or-death juncture. If we don't unite everyone's strength and rely solely on the few thousand soldiers of the Western Union Army, the end will come not just for the army but for everyone here. No one will survive.”

“As I said before, no one is exempt from this situation. If you want to live, register with your area supervisor. Those who choose not to participate, we won't force you; you’ll receive one hundred credit points per month. But one thing - I will not tolerate any dissent. Whoever speaks out again will be expelled from the shelter.”

After finishing his speech, Major General Lin remained silent, not prompting further questions. The tens of thousands of people in the crowd remained quiet, waiting in stillness.

“That was the first matter. Now for the second matter of tonight. As you must be aware, there have been several brutal attacks in the Hive these past few days.”

“I know there have been various speculations among you, and now there's no need to hide it anymore. I've decided to inform you all, to increase vigilance and enter a high state of alert.”

He nodded slightly to someone behind him, and a young medic, wearing glasses and a white coat, stepped forward.

The medic began speaking without a microphone. The crowd could see his mouth moving but couldn't hear his words until a soldier hurriedly handed him a microphone.

“—caused by an unidentified virus leading to brain disease, the incubation period is still uncertain. The longest known incubation period so far is six months, meaning this virus infiltrated human bodies before the earthquake. Common initial symptoms resemble those of a cold, followed by elevated body temperature, sometimes a low fever, occasionally a high fever. The transition from incubation to active stage is rapid, taking only seconds. During the active stage, infected individuals lose all reason, consciousness, and sense of pain, indiscriminately attacking healthy individuals nearby. Currently, there is no known cure for this virus.”

"'Zombies, are they zombies?' someone loudly asked from below."

"The medical officer adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose: 'If you mean like those in the movies, the symptoms do have similarities. For the time being, we can also call these infected individuals zombies.'"

"'Does a person bitten by a zombie turn into one too?' another person asked the question on everyone's mind."

"The medical officer replied, 'Those bitten will exhibit similar physical and physiological characteristics to the mutants but will quickly die. There is no effective treatment. Initially, the bitten would die within minutes; now, it's extended to several hours. If this trend continues, it's possible that the bitten might not die but instead enter a mutated state.'"

"'So you're saying, eventually, those bitten might not die but become zombies themselves?'"

"The medical officer cautiously responded, 'We can't rule out that possibility.'"